John McEnroe backs Novak Djokovic to reverse form slump
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Seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe has backed Novak Djokovic to win the US Open, despite a poor run since Wimbledon.

Fox Sports

21 Aug 2014

Sport/Tennis

Maria Sharapova screams as she celebrates a victory.Source: News Limited

TENNIS is about to get loud.

As we head towards the most boisterous tournament of the year, the US Open in New York, leading players are calling for an end to the game’s silence.

It would be a dramatic break from tradition. Indeed, the famous “Quiet, please” call from the chair umpire would cease to exist.

“When I’m watching other sports I see, for example, in NBA, how it works, and how entertaining it is for the crowd to see big screens and always something happening in the timeouts when they’re not playing,” he said. “And even during play, you’re able to scream, shout, whistle, do whatever you like,” world No. 1 Novak Djokovic told the New York Times.

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Novak Djokovic would like to see tennis get louder.Source: AFP

Andy Murray, the 2012 US Open champion, added that he would have no problem playing with sound so long as it was “constant”.

“Players would get used to it if it was kind of loud all of the time,” Murray said.

“It’s just when it’s very quiet and then someone makes a noise, or when everyone is sitting down and someone stands up behind the court, then it’s off-putting.

“But if people were moving around all of the time and always making noise, then the players would adjust.”

Andy Murray says he wouldn’t mind playing with crowd noise, so long as it was constant.Source: AFP

The Russian said she always looked forward to playing at Flushing Meadows, NY, where the crowds have a knack for stretching tennis’ no-noise rules.

“As the match goes on, of course you expect a few more people to get a bit more buzzed than at the beginning, which is normal,” Sharapova said.

“I actually quite like it, because you feel the energy, and they’re not so shy anymore.

“You also have to understand, a bunch of people come to a tennis match for their very first time, without knowing what’s going on — a good percentage of the stadium. And those are always fun, because you hear them more than the others.”

Maria Sharapova has one of the loudest screams in tennis. Crowd noise would drown it out.Source: News Corp Australia

There is at least one player who wants tennis to stay quiet.

Czech Tomas Berdych said he preferred the silence of Wimbledon to the scream of New York.

“I prefer the British crowds, London crowds,” Berdych said.

“It’s very special for tennis. When you stand on the baseline and start to bounce the ball, probably everybody can hear that. And then when you finish the rally, all the people are into it — probably that’s the best feeling in tennis.

“I’m not saying it’s bad in New York, definitely not. It’s very unique, very special atmosphere, because to play on the stadium where it could be over 20,000 people, it’s not really a daily experience.

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